It was déjà vu all over again... all over again.
For the third time since 2006, Richmond defeated Duke in both teams’ season opener. Though the Blue Devils out-gained the Spiders by almost 100 yards, they lost 23-21.
Despite brand new black jerseys, Duke again suffered a crucial special teams error that cost it the game.
In 2006, Richmond’s Adam Goloboski jumped through the line to block a 43-yard field goal attempt that kept the Spiders up two scores before halftime. Three years later the Blue Devils amassed 369 total yards to Richmond’s 282, but missed two field goals and had a punt blocked, effectively giving the Spiders a 24-16 victory.
Last night was more of the same, as 2010 American Football Coaches Association All-American Will Snyderwine missed a 27-yard field goal with two minutes remaining that would have given Duke the lead. His subsequent attempt from 60 yards as time expired fell short of the uprights.
“I just pushed it,” Snyderwine said of his first attempt. “Completely my fault. I just didn’t quite do my job right there. It’s tough. I go out there and expect to make everything that’s put in front of me. Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way.”
Quarterback Sean Renfree threw for 201 yards on 23-of-33 passing but fumbled late in the first quarter after a helmet-to-helmet hit from safety Cooper Taylor that left the redshirt junior shaken up on the field. Richmond’s Brandon Scott recovered the lost ball on Duke’s seven-yard line, and the Spiders took just three plays to score the game’s first touchdown.
Renfree was back in the lineup on the Blue Devils’ next possession, though he admitted after the game that the collision left him feeling “a little dizzy.” After attempting just five passes in his team’s first four offensive possessions, the quarterback completed nine straight passes after his fumble.
“That was our gameplan,” junior wide receiver Connor Vernon said. “That’s what [offensive coordinator Kurt Roper] wanted to do. That’s what we practiced a lot this camp and in the spring, just establishing the running game.”
Junior running back Desmond Scott scored the Blue Devils’ first touchdown on a 29-yard run up the middle. Scott would later leave the game with a leg injury after he was tackled violently. He was seen using crutches on the sideline during the fourth quarter.
The two teams traded turnovers on the next two possessions, as Walt Canty intercepted a pass from the Spiders’ Aaron Corp and then Brandon Braxton fumbled a catch to give Richmond great field position, which it quickly converted into three points.
Duke had another chance to score at the end of the second half after Lee Butler returned a punt down to the Spiders’ 38-yard line with 24 seconds left. Vernon had a 19-yard catch that brought the Blue Devils into field goal range, but poor clock management cost the team a shot at three points to end the half.
““I was [expecting to have an attempt there],” Snyderwine said. “I think they were [just trying to get a first down to stop the clock.] I was just getting ready to do what I’m supposed to do, so I’m not sure.”
The two teams exchanged touchdowns in the third quarter, with Duke backup quarterbacks Brandon Connette and Anthony Boone each rushing for short yardage scores.
At the start of the fourth quarter, though, Richmond put together a 10-play, 79-yard drive to score the game’s winning touchdown. Corp found his favorite target, Tre Gray—who finished with a career-high 129 yards on eight receptions—wide open over the middle of the field for a 33-yard gain to the Duke 7-yard line. After a five-yard gain on first down, Kendall Gaskins carried the ball again on second- and third-down, but could not find the end zone. Facing a 4-point deficit with just over ten minutes left, the Spiders left their offense on the field to try to take the lead. Tailback Garrett Turner finally broke through, giving his team a 23-21 lead after a missed PAT.
“I was really proud of us because we fought,” linebacker Kelby Brown said. “We fought really hard. On the 1-yard line, when they get a few chances, that’s tough though. We gave it all we had and they came out on top with that score.”
Duke’s only chance to score in the final period came on Snyderwine’s missed field goals.
“I promise we won’t be moping around come tomorrow,” Renfree said. “I’m not going to allow the guys on our team to think it will affect us, I won’t allow them to think that. I promise that much.”
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